MARION, Ind. - Indiana Wesleyan Esports wrapped up their regular season with a crazy week. There were matchups against top teams, close games and, sometimes, utter dominance. It all started with Monday's Valorant double-header. The Wildcats were facing off against 1-4 Michigan-Flint for the first game, then taking on 4-0 Elmhurst University in game 2.

Michigan-Flint was a familiar foe for the Wildcats, as they played them twice in the Spring preseason tournament. UM-Flint took control early with a 13-4 win on abyss, while the Wildcats answered them right back with their own 13-4 on Pearl.

However, neither of those maps would be played in this end of season match. UM-Flint made a surprising pick of Breeze for map 1, which both teams had played a combined once had all season, while the Wildcats opted for Bind as map 2 and Haven as map 3. Despite having not competed on Breeze since week 1, the Wildcats looked dominant. They won 10 straight rounds in their first half, before cruising to a 13-6 win on Breeze.

However, the Wolverines would not go down without a fight. On Bind, which was the Wildcats' pick, they kept things much closer, even taking a small lead before IWU won the half 7-5. Apparently, that wake-up call was just what the Wildcats needed. They finally started stringing rounds together and ultimately finished the second half strong, with a 13-8 map win. That 2-0 win against UM-Flint meant that just one team stood between IWU and an undefeated Spring season: Elmhurst University.

The also undefeated Bluejays had lost a few more maps then the Wildcats, but looked fairly dominant in their run. And the stage was set for the most important game of the NECC Division VIII season shortly after the UM-Flint game. The Wildcats picked Pearl for first map, one that they had had quite a bit of success on throughout the season. But the Bluejays were clearly ready. A strong and aggressive post-plant composition on attack actually gave them the biggest lead any team had taken over the Wildcats this season, an 8-4 halftime lead. And amazingly, they would extend that lead to 12-7. Staring down match point, the Wildcats awakened. They took 4 straight rounds, leading to an 11-12 lead for Elmhurst. The Wildcats would only have needed one more round to force overtime, had they not lost that round and the map, 13-11.

For the first time this Spring season, the Wildcats had lost a map. Most wondered how they would respond. Haven was the second map and Elmhurst's pick, so surely the Wildcats would have even more trouble on Haven? Think again. This time, starting on attack with an aggressive composition, the Wildcats would take a 7-5 halftime lead. That momentum would lead to an even stronger defense and a 13-8 map win.

Rejuvenated and with all momentum on their side, Breeze ended up being a dominant showing for IWU. The Wildcats won 8 straight rounds to start the map and never looked back, taking it 13-3. The 2-1 win is the first 2-1 so far this Spring for the Wildcats. They lock up the #2 seed for the West-Central Conference Playoffs next week. Their opponent will be #7 Doane University. The time for that match is still TBD. As for Elmhurst, they will still make the Conference Tournament. As for what seed they receive, that will be up to their match on Wednesday against also 4-1 Wright State.

Rocket League closed the week out on Tuesday against undefeated Carroll University. Carroll took an early 2-0 lead, but the Wildcats kept it close in both games. In game 3, the Wildcats finally looked like they had in the beginning of the season, winning 4-1. Carroll immediately bounced back, putting up a 3-1 win in game 4. Again, with their backs against the wall, the Wildcats needed a big win to shift momentum. And they got it, scoring a ton of goals early and even closing the game off with a 5^th goal, en route to a 5-1 win. Carroll responded by immediately putting an early goal up in game 6 and taking a 2-0 lead with a little more than a minute to go. The Wildcats were not done fighting. They grabbed one more goal with under a minute to go and were just one goal off of potentially forcing overtime. They even got a shot off right in front of the Carroll net. However, the inconsistent Carroll defense showed up at the right time, putting the ball away from their net and ultimately sealing the match.

While the Wildcats did lose the game, they will still very likely make the Central Conference Tournament next week. A lot would have to go wrong with the other matches this week for them to not get in, but we'll update you here and through the IWU_Esports social media accounts on whether or not they get in and what seed the receive if they do.

Both playoff games will be scheduled for next week. Valorant will play on Monday night and Rocket League on Wednesday if they get in. However, times for both games have not been released yet.

Standout Wildcats

• Evan Stoller, "PokevanXD", put up 115(!) eliminations in all five maps Monday. That's an incredible 23 elimination average for what became the best statistical night of his already storied career.
• Harrison Gilbert, "Farriex", was a playmaker in Tuesday's game, setting up his teammates for 7 assists against Carroll

Upcoming Week

Monday

• #2 Valorant vs. #7 Doane, time TBD

Wednesday

• TBD, potential Rocket League Conference Playoff Game

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